End of Year & Top 100 (2025)

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80 — D&D 5th Edition

2023 #76
2024 #57

While I failed to play anymore D&D this year, 5E still has great character customization and some good streamlining to the system, so I’d happily play it again in the future. Though, it has some tough competition for me with other RPGs that’ll be much higher, so I don’t know if it’ll be moving up the list again.

79 — Star Wars: Outer Rim

2022 #27
2023 #81
2024 #72

Another that didn’t get to the table this year, so it slid just a hair. There is just a bit of clunk to the system that has kept me from diving back in, but maybe next year. I love traveling around the map, having random encounters, doing jobs, hunting for bounties, and decking out my character and ship. And it’s one of very few games in this genre that lets you upgrade both your character and ship.

78 — Great Western Trail: Argentina

2024 #54

Sometimes, I lament playing in a group that’s fixated on playing all of the Euros, leaving me to pick most of the non-Euros. Makes it difficult for my favorite Euros to make it back out if they don’t pick them. I went from lukewarm on GWT (the original base game) to really enjoying Argentina. The additions add a lot of variety, and the ships are way more interesting than the train, for me. New Zealand has some really fun deck-building stuff, but the tightness of Argentina really drew me in.

77 — Near and Far

2022 #58
2023 #87
2024 #95

This one has been up and down for me over the years. Surprisingly, it did make it to the table this year. I’ve accepted that I’m not going to pick it enough for the campaign to work for us, but playing it as a one-off is just fine. Has to have the expansion, though. Everything it adds and changes are great; so much more variety.

76 — Vinhos Deluxe Edition

2022 #25
2023 #89
2024 #90

Well, it didn’t get played this year (again), but we’re planning on trying to get through all the Vital Lacerda games next year. Regardless, there were enough other games shifting around and dropping, that Vinhos seemed to sneak its way up. I think some of the similarities with Speakeasy, with making and selling wine/alcohol, reminded me of how satisfying Vinhos is. Next year, it’ll finally come back out!

75 — Fire & Axe: A Viking Saga

2022 #16
2023 #39
2024 #55

I got this one out again this year, but it is showing its age quite a bit. I don’t mind the randomness, but there’s not a whole lot of depth or variety to the game. It’s pretty much two strategies: go for saga cards, or go for points on the board. Raiding doesn’t seem to be viable on its own (and my brother has definitely tried), and that’s kind of the whole game. A shame it never got an expansion to add a bit more depth to the game.

74 — Dorfromantik: Sakura

2024 #51

I’m a little surprised it’s still on here, but I really enjoy the tile-laying and completing goals. It’s fun unlocking the new stuff and seeing how the game evolves (not that I’m far in). It’s just a super chill game that results in a unique map every time.

73 — Glen More II: Chronicles

2022 #32
2023 #48
2024 #82

We got this back to the table this year with a couple of modules. We’re still exploring what all the modules do, but it’s nice having such a wide selection to choose from that can shake up the game quite a bit. The rondelle is fun, but the engine-building is also pretty satisfying, and it’s very unique with how you trigger your engine pieces. Though, sometimes your crucial parts get grabbed by someone else, and your backup gets grabbed by another opponent, and you have to settle for something far less efficient…

72 — Undaunted 2200: Callisto

2024 #19

19 was probably a bit too high last year, but it’s still a great system. I wish the solo mode was a little more streamlined, though. It’s quite a bit more work figuring out what the bot does than trying to defeat the bot. I think this might end up being a 2-player game more than solo game, unfortunately. Maybe someone might make a fan-made mode to simplify it.

71 — Nippon

2022 #27
2023 #70
2024 —

This only just fell off the list last year, but we played some more, trying to decide if we liked it enough to keep it and try out the new version or just swap. My friend decided to hang on to the old one for now so we can try the new one when it comes in. The theme is not particularly strong, but the mechanisms are. It’s got a lot of tight resource management, tight economy, and tight action selection with a unique reverse worker-placement.

Top 100: 70–61
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